Analysis of What's The Use
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
WHAT'S the use o' folks a-frownin'
When the way's a little rough?
Frowns lay out the road fur smilin'
You'll be wrinkled soon enough.
What's the use?
What's the use o' folks a-sighin'?
It's an awful waste o' breath,
An' a body can't stand wastin'
What he needs so bad in death.
What's the use?
What's the use o' even weepin'?
Might as well go long an' smile.
Life, our longest, strongest arrow,
Only lasts a little while.
What's the use?
| Scheme | ababCadadCaefeC |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | |
| Metre | 1011101 1010101 1110111 1110101 101 1011101 1110111 1010111 1111101 101 1011101 1111111 110101010 1010101 101 |
| Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
| Characters | 432 |
| Words | 83 |
| Sentences | 11 |
| Stanzas | 1 |
| Stanza Lengths | 15 |
| Lines Amount | 15 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
| Words per line (avg) | 5 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 320 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 81 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 27 sec read
- 120 Views
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"What's The Use" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28999/what%27s-the-use>.
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